Information and Communication Technology
Information and Communication Technology
Paper I tests computer fundamentals, memory units, office applications, internet protocols, and ICT initiatives in Indian higher education.
Fundamentals
- Units: 1 byte = 8 bits; 1 KB = 1024 bytes = 2^10 B; 1 MB = 2^20 B; 1 GB = 2^30 B; 1 TB = 2^40 B.
- Hardware: CPU (ALU + control unit + registers), primary memory (RAM volatile, ROM non-volatile), secondary storage, input and output devices.
- Software: system (OS, utilities) vs application. Generations of computers: first (vacuum tubes) to fifth (AI).
- Protocols: TCP/IP (transport and internet), HTTP/HTTPS (web), FTP (file transfer), SMTP (sending mail), POP3 and IMAP (retrieving mail).
- E-learning: LMS, MOOC platforms - SWAYAM, NPTEL, e-PG Pathshala, SWAYAM PRABHA; NDL, Shodhganga, e-ShodhSindhu, INFLIBNET, VIDWAN; plagiarism tools such as Turnitin and Urkund/Ouriginal; UGC CARE list for journals.
Worked example
A message written in a desktop mail client reaches the recipient's inbox and is later opened on a phone with the folders unchanged across devices. The protocol that sends the mail is SMTP, with the outgoing server acting as the relay; IMAP, not POP3, is what keeps the mailbox synchronized on the server. Choosing POP3 would download and typically delete messages from the server, so the folders would not match across devices.
Traps that cost marks
- Using 1000 instead of 1024 for KB/MB/GB in exam options.
- Swapping SMTP with POP3/IMAP.
- Confusing HTTP with HTTPS - the "S" is TLS encryption, not speed.
- Attributing SWAYAM to a single university rather than to the national MOOC programme under MoE.
- Mixing a web browser with a search engine.